| Wongawilli Wollongong, New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
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  Wongawilli | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°28.5′S150°45.5′E / 34.4750°S 150.7583°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 1,213 (2021 census) [1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2530 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 24 m (79 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Wollongong | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Shellharbour | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Whitlam | ||||||||||||||
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Wongawilli is a southern suburb of Wollongong, Australia at the foot hills of the Illawarra escarpment. The word "Wonga" is a native Aboriginal word meaning native pigeon. [2]
It contains a mixture of small rural properties and family homes. It has a New South Wales Rural Fire Service station and a small community hall where the Wongawilli colonial dance club meets regularly. [3] The community has had a long history with coal mining, with the Wongawilli colliery opening in 1916 by the Hoskins brothers, [4] and later being taken over by BHP. [5] Since this time the mine has expanded and has had multiple owners, and is currently owned and operated by the Indian company Jindal Steel and Power. [6]
